CELEBRATING 20 1 0
1910
YEARS
volume CI number 31
inside
the official student newspaper at the university of alberta
Deputy News Editor
Anthony Hopkins returns to the big screen as a priest in a Rite that’s all wrong. a&e, Page 12
Sleepless nights
Students are being encouraged to broaden their horizons, learn about other cultures, and think about movement during International Week this year, entitled “World on the Move: Unpacking Migration.” “The name behind this is to talk about this idea of movement of people, the movement of animals, and the contrast between them,” explained International Week Volunteer Coordinator Saima Butt. “Animals have this free flow — they can go anywhere. Yet with human movement, there are a lot of barriers.” Butt noted that there are many reasons for people to migrate; because of climate change, in search of a better
life, or because of war. She described International Week’s 2011 theme as the overarching idea of unpacking these reasons for human movement. She said that students should reflect on migration and how they can make a difference. “The biggest idea we want students to take out of International Week is this idea of global citizenship, this idea of understanding the world around you and also taking away some action,” she said. “We want people to have knowledge and also move forward. So we had a career fair and we have some sessions that have petitions.” Butt expressed enthusiasm for the growth of International Week, which has 63 events this year. Please see i-week Page 4
Insomnia is a growing problem in the student population. But what are the physical and mental consequences, and what can be done about it?
Lister to implement alcohol-free floors
Feature, Page 16-17
Deputy News Editor
So long, farewell The Golden Bears and Pandas volleyball teams will say goodbye to the Main Gym this weekend after more than 50 years of playing in the facility. Sports, Page 18
Takin’ a break The Gateway won’t be on stands February 8, as the editors take a break to study for midterms and catch up on papers. Look for the Purity Test issue on stands Thursday, February 10.
thursday, february 3, 2011
I-Week presents migration stories Simon Yackulic
An exorcise in horror
www.thegatewayonline.ca
Simon Yackulic
Residence Services has decided to create alcohol-free and quiet floors in Lister Centre next year, a decision that’s drawing criticism from a number of current residents. Next year, 10 Kelsey, 11 Mackenzie, and 10 Henday will be become quiet floors, while 9 Kelsey and 9 Henday will become alcohol free. Ten Mackenzie will become a floor for an Arts Leadership Cohort. For the affected floors, Residence Services will appoint Floor Coordinators (FCs) for next year to oversee their floors. This position is usually elected by outgoing residents on each floor to serve the following year. Current resident Jessica Macumber criticized the floor changes, saying they will prove devastating to floor culture and that she suspects Residence Services would like to make Lister a dry residence. Students who return to the residence after their first year often return to their previous floor, keeping groups of students together and creating a culture that is passed on to
new floor residences. If individuals on the affected floors don’t want to live on quiet or alcohol-free floors, they’ll have to move elsewhere if they come back to Lister. “[Take] 10 Kelsey, for instance,” Macumber said. “They’re a very family-type floor. And [the changes] are getting rid of that — they’re all being displaced. And so those people don’t want to come back. And as much as there is change and turnover each year, the returners still pass some of that Lister culture on.” Director of Residence Services Dima Utgoff said that the FCs in the affected floors won’t be elected next year, but eventually they will be elected once the floor adapts to its new identity. He also said the LHSA would be consulted in the appointments, and that Residence Services had no long term plans to make Lister dry. “That would be disastrous to turn Lister into an all-dry residence, simply because we have nowhere near the demand to do that,” he said. “Frankly, when you look at Lister, and of the people who live there, most people drink and most people drink responsibly.” Please see lister Page 6
kaitlyn menard and sam brooks
MOVING WITH IT The “Soaring Sounds” I-Week event on SUBstage Tuesday.
2 Campus Life The Gateway
thursday, february 3, 2011
www.thegatewayonline.ca
Event Listings
www.thegatewayonline.ca thursday, february 3, 2011 volume CI number 31
Published since november 21, 1910 Circulation 8,000 ISSN 0845-356X
Feminist Research Speakers Series 2011 — ‘Always Improperly Covered’
Suite 3-04 Students’ Union Building University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2J7
February 3, 3:30–5 p.m. Convocation Hall 322
Telephone 780.492.5168 Fax 780.492.6665 Ad Inquiries 780.492.6700 Email gateway@gateway.ualberta.ca
International Week Concert: Migratory Music
editorialstaff editor-in-chief Jonn Kmech
February 4, 7 p.m. Convocation Hall
eic@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.5168
managing editor Justin Bell managing@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.6654
Break the Record: The U of A Strikes Back
senior news editor Alexandria Eldridge news@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.7308
deputy news editor Simon Yackulic
February 5, 11 a.m. Butterdome
deputynews@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.6664
opinion editor Alix Kemp opinion@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.6661
Augustana Human Library
arts & entertainment editor Madeline Smith
February 6, 2-10 p.m. February 7, 6-10 p.m. Augustana Library
entertainment@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.7052
sports editor Matt Hirji sports@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.6652
photo editor Dan McKechnie photo@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.6648
President’s State of the University Address
design & production editor Lance Mudryk production@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.6663
online editor Jordan Ching online@gateway.ualberta.ca | 248.1509
businessstaff business manager Ashleigh Brown
sam brooks
HIT THE GROUND The Pandas volleyball team practices Wednesdsay for their last games in the Main Gym this weekend.
February 15, 1-2 p.m. Myer Horowitz Theatre Register at www.president.ualberta.ca/eventsrsvp.cfm
biz@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.6669
ad sales manager Vikram Seth sales@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.6700
ad/graphic designer Vikki Wiercinski design@gateway.ualberta.ca | 492.6647
circulation pal Nick Frost circulation pal Kathryn Dutchak circulation@gateway.ualberta.ca
STREETERS Compiled and photographed by Aaron Yeo and Alex Eldridge
Jeromy Lethebe Engineering I
As you may be aware, next year Lister will be making designated alcohol-free floors and quiet floors.
What floors would you like to see next year? Rob Hetmanski Science I
Erin Struble Arts I
Megan McCaig Arts I
The Gateway is published by the Gateway Student Journalism Society (GSJS), a student-run, autonomous, apolitical not-for-profit organization, operated in accordance with the Societies Act of Alberta. The Gateway is proud to be a founding member of the Canadian University Press.
complaints
Comments, concerns, or complaints about the Gateway’s content or operations should be first sent to the Editor-in-Chief at the address above. If the Editor-inChief is unable to resolve a complaint, it may be taken to the Gateway Student Journalism Society’s Board of Directors; beyond that, appeal is to the non-partisan Society OmbudsBoard. The chairs of the Board of Directors and the OmbudsBoard can be reached at the address above.
copyright
All materials appearing in the Gateway bear copyright of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent.
disclaimers
Opinions expressed in the pages of the Gateway are expressly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Gateway or the Gateway Student Journalism Society. Additionally, the opinions expressed in advertisements appearing in the Gateway are those of the advertisers and not the Gateway nor the Gateway Student Journalism Society unless explicitly stated. The Gateway to periodically adjusts its circulation between 8,000 to 10,000 printed copies based on market fluctuations and other determining factors.
colophon
The Gateway is created using Macintosh computers, HP Scanjet flatbed scanners, and a Nikon Super Cool Scan optical film scanner. Adobe InDesign is used for layout. Adobe Illustrator is used for vector images, while Adobe Photoshop is used for raster images. Adobe Acrobat is used to create PDF files which are burned directly to plates to be mounted on the printing press. Text is set in a variety of sizes, styles, and weights of Fenice, Joanna, Kepler and Whitney. The Manitoban is the Gateway’s sister paper, and we love her dearly, though “not in that way.” The Gateway’s songs of choice are Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” and Gyptian’s “Hold Yuh [Major Lazer Remix].”
contributors
Aaron Yeo, Hayley Dunning, Ross Vincent, Bren Cargill, Ryan Lotsberg, Kory Orban, Brendan Fitzgerald, Jane Voloboev, Ross Vincent, Carole Yue, Ryan Bromsgrove, Benjamin Ripley, Lauren Alston, Ben Leung, Kaitlyn Menard, Sam Brooks, AmirAli Sharifi, Julianna Damer, Aquib Shirazi
I’d say a faculty-only floor, like straight engineering. That’d be kind of cool. But there might be too many guys. There’d have to be two guy wings.
I like the way things are already. I don’t see the necessity of making non-drinking floors and stuff. It’s college; you’re supposed to get drunk. It’s half the battle.
Union floors. Floors for people who want to go to Union!
I live on a floor that’s going to be turned into a sober floor, and there’s a lot of people on my floor who don’t really like that idea. So lots of people aren’t coming back because of that.
The Gateway
News
volume ci number 31
matt hirji
Dinosaurs may have survived longer than previously thought Hayley Dunning
Dinosaur News Staff
A new technique to date dinosaur bones developed by a University of Alberta researcher may prove that dinosaurs lived up to 700,000 years past previously recognized extinction dates. The results challenge the view that dinosaurs died out in a relatively short period, around 65.5 or 66 million years ago. It means the idea of one huge meteorite wiping out the dinosaurs may need a radical revamp. “It’s still possible that a meteorite or a series of meteorite impacts in a oneor two-million year period around that time did cause enough devastation to really stress animals like dinosaurs. But it wasn’t an instantaneous event,” explained Larry Heaman, the researcher behind the testing technique. The researchers took a fossilized femur of a sauropod and, using a new urianium isotope dating method, found that it yields a date of only 63.9 – 65.7 million years ago, meaning this particular dinosaur was alive up to 700,000 years after the mass
Campus Crime Beat Compiled by Alexandria Eldridge A creeper in Cameron On January 24 at 5 p.m., UAPS staff received a report of a suspicious male on the third floor of Cameron Library. The report said the male seemed out of place and was staring at students. UAPS attended the area and weren’t able to locate the man. Needed: one wiper blade UAPS received a report of a vandalized vehicle near Newton Place on January 24 at 11 p.m. When staff arrived on scene, they spoke to the witness, who told them a male had been standing on the hood of the vehicle and pulling on the windshield wipers. Officers located an intoxicated male who admitted to having been on the vehicle. He was issued a summons for being intoxicated in public and escorted off campus. Suicidal tendencies On January 25 at 3 p.m., UAPS received a report of a female threatening to harm herself in the ETLC building. During a meeting with a staff member concerning academic matters, the female student stated she was having suicidal thoughts
extinction event. Heaman collaborated with US Geological Survey researcher James Fassett, who has been trying for nearly three decades to prove some dinosaurs lived past the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary, a worldwide sediment layer enriched in meteorite materials that traditionally marks the demise of the dinosaurs. Although some dinosaur bones have been found physically above the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary, in a period called the Paleocene, most palaeontologists believed that they had simply been washed out from older sediments and re-deposited with younger ones. “All these hints that this [fossilbearing layer] is Paleocene have been met with controversy and skepticism. This is really the first direct dating that supports it,” Heaman said. The new technique has previously been used to date ancient minerals, but this is the first time it has been used on bone. Its success lies in the ability to image and select specific areas that are suitable for dating.
Heaman acknowledged that because it is so new, it will no doubt be met with some uncertainty. Heaman first dated an older bone that was bounded by two volcanic ash layers that have very well defined dates, and found that the ages agreed. This helped prove the veracity of the technique, but Heaman says there is still ways to improve the technique, which he is trying to do on other dinosaur fossil samples. “Our first strategy will be to go back to this site and look at a couple of other dinosaur bones. We are starting to look at some projects where we date velociraptor bones in Alberta and Mongolia to put them into a time frame,” he said. The result of at least one individual outliving the traditional extinction of the dinosaurs will fuel research, as other scientists seek to use the technique to support or oppose the new idea. Palaeontologists will likely discuss how some groups may have survived an event long thought to have wiped a species off the face of the Earth.
and was going to use a knife to harm herself. EPS was contacted and the female told the EPS officers she had suicidal thoughts in the past, but not recently. She was made aware of the counselling services available to her and driven to her off-campus residence by EPS.
premises and told not to come back. A dentist told her she could attend the dental clinic at the university hospital and be treated there at no cost.
Missing student UAPS received a request for a welfare check on a student on January 26 at 7 a.m. The students’ parents had not heard from their son for 25 days and were concerned for his wellbeing. EPS were contacted and UAPS staff met with them at the last known address (off campus) of the male. His former roommate told the officers that the male did not live there anymore. Further investigation showed the male was supposed to have moved into HUB in early January but had not done so. UAPS staff are still in the process of trying to contact the student. A violent toothache UAPS received a panic alarm from Dentistry staff in the third-floor clinic on January 26 at 2 p.m. Staff told officers who attended that a female had shown up without an appointment complaining about sore teeth. When told she would need to make an appointment, she became belligerent and violent towards staff. Dentistry staff asked that the woman be removed from the
Thief on wheels On January 27, UAPS received a report of a suspicious male on a bike in Stadium Car Park looking into vehicles. The male was described as wearing a white hoodie and carrying a black backpack. According to a witness in the General Services building, the male suspect was seen breaking a window to a vehicle and taking something. UAPS found an abandoned bike near Stadium. EPS were contacted and are investigating the incident. Drivers are reminded not to leave valuables in their vehicles. Come on in UAPS received a report of a suspicious male in an office in the basement of SUB on January 28 at 3 p.m. When confronted by the occupant of the office, the male fled the area. He was described as being in his 20s, 5’7, clean shaven, wearing a grey bomber jacket and yellow shirt. The male was not located, but staff in the General Services building on the first and third floors reported a short time later that the same male was seen trying to enter offices. UAPS are asking staff or students to contact them if they observe a man matching the description.
3
4
News
thursday, february 3, 2011
www.thegatewayonline.ca
Playwright in Residence excited for “new energy” I-Week bigger,
more diverse
Alexandria Eldridge Senior News Editor
Greg MacArthur has been all over the world — from Japan to South Africa, Hungary, and the United Kingdom — but it was only a few weeks ago that he saw Edmonton for the first time. The University of Alberta is welcoming MacArthur, an internationally renowned playwright, as the third Lee Playwright in Residence. MacArthur will be writing a play for performance in the 2012/13 Studio Theatre Season. “It’s kind of exciting to be in a new place and to be surrounded by new people and new energy,” MacArthur said. “It’s good for the creative process, you know, to be in a place where everything is unknown. It forces you to make new connections. I’m interested in meeting this community here and seeing how it affects my work.” Originally from a small town in Ontario, MacArthur began as a performer, completing theatre school in Toronto. He then moved on to writing, a profession he’s been honing for the last 13 years. One of his plays, entitled Snowman, has had 30 productions around the world, including one in Cape Town, South Africa, where MacArthur spent some time as a writer in residence. “It’s a very Canadian play. It takes place in the Arctic […] of course, these performers had no idea what -40C was like, so it was really interesting to see their take on the show,” he said. “Any time I get to travel with one of my plays, it’s always interesting to be immersed in a new
i-week Continued From Page 1
dan mckechnie
HUB INSPIRATION MacArthur’s office is in HUB Mall, where he’ll write a new play for the Studio Theatre.
culture, meet new theatre artists, and see their different processes.” Though MacArthur has now written 15 plays, he says it’s hard to pick a favourite. One titled girls! girls! girls! about violence and teen sexuality has stuck with him. “In some ways, your favourite play is always the one you’re working on at the moment because it feels closest to you and it’s fresh and you have no idea what it’s going to be,” he said. MacArthur also said the writing process does not get any easier, no matter how many times he’s started a new play. “In some ways, it’s a very dull process. Some people say that plumbing is more interesting than writing. I try and write a little bit everyday,
[…] so much of writing is about walking and thinking and going to art galleries and hearing music, so the play that you’re working on always lives with you,” he said. The difference between being a playwright and any other type of writer is something that MacArthur can appreciate. “You get the best of both worlds — you get that insular, private world that writers love, but then I get to sit in a room with actors and directors and see it all come together and get that sense of community, which I love as well. “Starting from nothing and then at the end, you see it on stage and there’s this world and these people that exist that didn’t exist. It’s still really thrilling to me, but it’s hard.”
The many exhibits include a display on the extinction of Colombia’s indigenous population in Dinwoodie Lounge, as well as a multitude of speeches on topics such as forced migration, green energy, and the Canada-European Union trade agreement. “As the year grows, I think people understand what International Week is and is trying to be,” Butt noted. “So not only is it getting bigger, but I think the events are of a higher and higher calibre as it gets a wider audience. We’ve got a pretty good following, so I think it gets more creative every year.” Diana Keto, communications coordinator for U of A’s International Centre, echoed Butt’s enthusiasm for the topic and said that the university community needs to hear the stories of people affected by migration. “It’s really important to focus on migration. We haven’t done an I-Week like this before, and we’re planning to focus on this for a few years,” she said. “I would say humanity in general is constantly moving, so it’s important to focus on this because it affects everyone in one way or another; whether you’re a refugee or just moving down the street. People are constantly moving. We need to look at it and see what’s going on, what the problems are and where we can help.” The closing ceremonies for International Week will be Friday at 7 p.m. in Convocation Hall.
The Gateway
News
volume ci number 31
Student wears jeans for 15 months Uof Aprofessor finds bacteria on pants hardly changes over long period of time Alix Kemp
Opinion Editor
Alexandria Eldridge Senior News Editor
An experiment by one student at the University of Alberta has shown that consumers don’t need to wash their jeans as often as they may have previously thought. Josh Le wore the same pair of raw denim Nudie jeans for 15 months without washing them. Assistant professor of human ecology Rachel McQueen tested the jeans after 13 days of wear, then again after 15 months, and found minimal differences in the amount of bacteria. “I was surprised that the counts were actually virtually the same,” she said. “I still expected to find bacteria on the jeans after 13 days of course, but I expected them to be a bit lower than [at] 15 months.” McQueen also found that the type of bacteria on the jeans, even after 15 months, was relatively harmless. “I expected to find something like E. coli, [or] some types of bacteria that might have come from the lower intestine or tract, just because of the area that we were sampling, but it was only skin bacteria that we found.” McQueen explained that the idea to test the jeans occurred after Le told her about his jeans during office hours. She found that the results of their experiment was a good way to show people that they don’t need to wash their clothes as often as they think. “If everyone didn’t wash a lot of their clothing as often as they currently do, the benefit for the environment is much greater. There’s a huge amount of water and energy usage that occurs in
julianna damer
terms of textiles,” she said. Le’s experience with raw denim began before he approached McQueen, when his brothers bought him a pair of Nudie jeans in the fall of 2009. “One week led to two, two to three, to a month eventually. And you sort of forget about wearing pants. Not like ‘wearing pants,’ but having that worry — what pants am I going to wear — because you already have your pair set out.” Le wore the jeans to California and Mexico, and even slept in them. Usually he would air out the jeans, but after he came back from a California cruise, he bagged the jeans and put them in the freezer to control the odour. “I ate stuff in them, I biked in them, I played Twister in them. I thought they’d rip,” he said. “I’d sleep in them, like intentionally, because that’s supposed to help with the fading process,
and I guess break them in a little bit.” The story of Le’s jeans has taken off, with interviews in Australia, New Zealand, and Germany, and Le feels that it’s because of the novelty of raw denim. “The news people, I think they’re just taken aback because they’ve never heard of [raw denim]. But I think universityaged people, I think at least 10 per cent of people I know on campus wear raw denim,” he said. “It’s been described as a blank canvas, and you paint on it with your life. And each pair of jeans, they have the ability to gain more character as you wear it more. And it fits perfectly and uniquely to you, so there’s no other pair like it in the world.” Le and a friend are now in a competition where each are going to wear their raw denim jeans for over a year and then have the public vote on who has the best pair.
U of A’s transcendence printmaking collection spans cultural frontiers Ross Vincent News Staff
The works of four internationally acclaimed print artists will be on display in the Telus Centre this month in a new exhibit celebrating the theme of transcendence. The exhibit, entitled Transcendence: Four Artists, Four Cultures showcases works from four master artists of printmaking, a technique where ink is transferred from a prepared template onto paper or cloth. The exhibit’s nebulous theme explores, among other things, art’s ability to move beyond geographical and cultural borders. Though the four artists hail from different countries and backgrounds, they are connected by reputation, friendship, and the boundary-crossing nature of their shared craft. Walter Jule, one of the featured artists, is a retired Professor Emeritus formerly with the U of A’s printmaking department. He credits the process as being inherently communal. “It’s a little like jazz. It’s a collaborative process in the way you use the same equipment and so on. You find that print artists naturally gravitate toward each other to kind of riff off each other. Maybe it starts with technical questions, but it develops into a discussion about ideas.” As co-curator of the exhibit, Jule said the show is a natural result of the relationship among print artists. Despite rarely meeting face-to-face,
dan mckechnie
their works are well known to each other through international exhibits and trade catalogues. The other artists, Ryoji Ikeda of Japan, Maurice Pasternak of Belgium, and Stanislaw Fijalkowski of Poland, are all represented in the University’s Art Collection and have contributed to the printmaking department through workshops, symposiums, and by donating their work. Most recently Ikeda, Pasternak, and Jule hosted a demonstration in the Fine Arts Building’s print studio on January 22. During his teaching career, Jule helped start the international guest artist program, inviting international artists to come to the U of A to broaden students’ ideas about the medium. “What we’ve tried to do over the decades here is not just have guest artists come in, lecture, and show their slides, but to have them live here and work here so we can see what they’re thinking, how they go about their pro-
cess [...] We can develop an ongoing communication around the work so we can get past the cultural boundaries without obliterating them.” Ikeda came to the U of A on sabbatical in 1998 as part of the guest artist program and has returned several times since. Fijalkowski and Pasternak have both attended major print symposiums in Edmonton, in 1997 and 2008 respectively. Many pieces in the exhibit are from the U of A’s Art Collection, which Jule praises as exemplary of the university’s unique importance in the international printmaking community. “The print study centre is unique in North America in terms of its international breadth in contemporary prints. It’s one of those hidden treasures in this town.” Transcendence: Four Artists, Four Cultures is on display in Telus Centre Gallery A until February 19. Admission is free.
5
6
News
thursday, february 3, 2011
www.thegatewayonline.ca
Young immigrants more likely Lister residents “not happy” with alteration of floors to graduate from postsecondary lister Continued From Page 1
Emma Godmere
CUP Ottawa Bureau Chief
OTTAWA (CUP) — New findings from Statistics Canada suggest young immigrants may be better at integrating into Canadian society than previously thought. When compared to their Canadianborn counterparts, immigrant kids are more likely to get their hands on a university degree. According to the January 25 study, which used census data from as far back as 1971 and as recently as 2006, immigrants who arrived in Canada at age 12 or younger were more likely to have graduated university by the age of 25 than their Canadian-born peers. Miles Corak, a vice-dean of research at the University of Ottawa, explained that this children-specific study is important, as past research on new Canadians has normally yielded more negative conclusions. “A lot of public policy discussion [concerns] how immigrants integrate into Canadian society, and we’ve
documented how poorly they’ve done relative to their Canadian counterparts.” “When we want to think about integration and success, we should be thinking in a little bit more of a longer term,” he said. “And what we’re seeing again and again is that the children of immigrants are making a very positive contribution in society.” The degree gap proved to be particularly significant for young boys in the 1980s — 32 per cent of male childhood immigrants who arrived in Canada around that time had a degree by the time they were 25 to 34, compared to 20 per cent of their Canadianborn counterparts. The study indicated the pattern was similar among women, whose university-educated population across both groups increased more quickly over time. “The increasing educational stock of the successive immigrant cohorts from countries that value education is echoing into this generation and is giving their kids this extra push or head-start that they need,” he said.
Corak added that immigrants who arrive in the country later in life may face a tougher situation. “The very difficult times, as you can imagine, are when you come as a teenager,” he said. “It becomes much harder to learn a language fluently when you’re older and the tipping point for that is around the age of puberty. But you can imagine all kinds of other challenges happening in the teen years.” Corak pointed out that while this study provides positive news, it’s also an opportunity to take a look at how we deal with immigration policy in Canada — and where we can improve. “One of the things we learn from studies like this is that immigration policy is also social policy, it’s also family policy, it’s also education policy.” “There really is a need for broader co-ordination between the federal government and the provinces across this whole area. So if one department or one ministry is changing immigration rules, [it is] going to have an impact for other governments and other departments years down the road.”
Utgoff explained that ensuring Lister is “for everyone” drove the changes. “We have to serve everyone,” Utgoff said. “What alarmed us was the number of people leaving Lister before the end of their term. Our first reaction was ‘what are we doing wrong that they’re leaving here?’ ” Last December, Residence Services sent out an online poll to first-year Lister residents to try and assess any problems. Of the 302 people who responded, 51 per cent would live on a quiet floor, 13 per cent would live on a very quiet floor, and 19 per cent would live on an alcohol-free floor. Utgoff said the survey results suggest an even greater demand for alcoholfree and quiet floors than Residence Services is implementing with the changes. Residence Services and the LHSA have an agreement where the two communicate over changes. Utgoff said the LHSA has been consulted, and will continue to be as issues are worked through. However, LHSA President Dustin Edwards claims that
there was a “lack of proper consultation” and a “disregard” for student concerns during the process. “At the last meeting, after all the information and all the concerns we brought to [Residence Services], they just plopped down an action plan in front of us telling us they were going to implement these floors regardless of the concerns we brought up,” he said. Edwards said the changes will disrupt some of the more established floors in Lister, and students on the changed floors will miss out on the Lister experience. He also noted that there are many reasons why people leave Lister midway through the term, including the food and the rooms themselves. “I think there are a lot of reasons why they could be leaving, not just because Lister gets loud on Fridays and Saturdays.” Kody Au, an FC on 10 Kelsey, said that he is “not happy” with the changes that will see his floor become a quiet floor and he voiced similar concerns as Edwards about the way the changes were made.
Opinion
opinion@gateway.ualberta.ca
thursday, february 3, 2011
Bell shamelessly trying to curb Net competition Trying to impose limits on the internet is pretty much the fastest possible way to generate bad press. The scope of that anger may vary somewhat, but nothing whips people into a frenzy faster than reducing their access to the web. In the most recent case, Bell Canada has managed to piss off just about everyone in the country. It’s so far been standard practice for large telecom companies to charge customers based on usage. However, the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CTRC) gave the media giant the goahead to force the same pricing scheme on smaller companies renting portions of their network and offering plans with unlimited data usage. In response, there are now petitions protesting the move, as well as countless comment threads full of hatred directed at Bell and the CRTC. The response has even pushed Stephen Harper to commission a review of the decision as of Tuesday, to be handed down by March 1, when the CRTC’s decision is supposed to take effect. Small companies that previously offered unlimited plans to compete with larger internet service providers will lose their competitive edge with the introduction of this ruling. Now these powerhouses only have to offer smaller businesses a 15 per cent discount on their bandwidth rent; not enough to offer any sort of significant competition. Without competitive rates or unlimited data luring potential customers away, larger ISPs are able to lower their caps and up their prices. Anyone who doesn’t have their head in a bucket should be able to see that this isn’t reasonable legislation, and that it shouldn’t have even been considered by the CRTC. The only marginally defensible argument for this ruling is that it encourages fair use of the network. This means that if you’re trying to check your email, there isn’t some selfish twat torrenting Jersey Shore, playing World of Warcraft, and streaming Avatar all at the same time, using all of the available bandwidth. However, I’ve seen numerous ads from ISPs boasting that their networks never slow down, no matter what kind of load they’re under. It’s one or the other, so which is it? Besides, it doesn’t cost the ISPs more to allow additional traffic. If their switches can handle the load, the only thing costing them money is maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure itself, which is in their best interest anyways. If their systems don’t work properly or lag behind the competition, then they’re not going to get much in the way of business. After stripping away the layers of absurdity, all that’s left is a shameless cash grab. It’s no secret that these restrictions allow a very limited amount of data for those who stream a lot of their media from online sources such as iTunes or Netflix. Bell has a lot to gain by stifling these sources of competition in favour of its own content. This is classic behaviour from an industry that’s threatened by an encroaching medium. With many people abandoning pay-per-view in favour of Netflix, and leaving behind regular TV in exchange for the thousands of websites that host the same shows for free, the cable and satellite providers have to secure their income somehow. Oddly enough, the same doesn’t hold true for our neighbours to the south. Some US providers like Verizon, which provides TV services in addition to home internet, don’t have any download caps. Comcast caps their usage at a generous 250GB, and Cable One implemented a system by which only sustained, heavy usage is penalized. That way, the jerks who leave Bittorrent open while it chews through a few dozen gigabytes a day get throttled back, not users who just want to stream a movie. This is a superior system since not only does it impose more reasonable constraints on consumers, but it does a better job of actually enforcing traffic limits, since Bell’s system only forces people to comply by charging them overage fees. No matter how you approach this, Bell has taken the most ham-fisted approach towards stacking the deck in their favour, and it’s ludicrous that this managed to get the approval of the CRTC. Hopefully someone is actually going to read through their proposal this time and realize what an unethical ruling it is.
Jordan Ching Online Editor
Ross Vincent
letters to the
eds
Alcohol by far the most popular date rape drug RE: (“Dosed,” Sarah McMahonSperber, January 24) Last week’s article in The Gateway, “Dosed: Personal experiences with the date rape drug,” made a commendable effort to increase awareness about the nature and effects of these drugs. Still, relevant issues were left unaddressed. The phrase, “date rape drug,” implies a dialogue about drug facilitated sexual assaults, when drugs acquire the name “rape” drugs. The article rightly cites GHB, MDMA and speed as potential rape drugs while misrepresenting GHB as the main perpetrator. Any substance used to facilitate sexual assault is a rape drug. According to Edmonton Police Service (EPS), half of the sexual assaults reported to police in Edmonton have alcohol as a factor. Alcohol is the most common rape drug. A perpetrator of sexual assault has many strategies in using alcohol: They can pour a person a double instead of a single, pressure a person to drink more than they normally would have or wanted to, and take advantage of the real or perceived vulnerability of an individual already intoxicated. When speaking about rape drugs, we must prioritize talk
about alcohol. Despite the article’s suggestion to “distinguish the symptoms of alcohol abuse from those of rape drug toxicity,” it is more important to realize that one’s level of intoxication is never a valid explanation for why sexual assaults happen. Canada’s Criminal Code recognizes that a person who is intoxicated is not capable of giving consent to sexual activity. Any sexual contact without voluntary consent is sexual assault. Lastly, while the author does address victim-blaming, particularly emphasizing believing someone when they say they were drugged, the language of the author and her references inadvertently do blame victims. Claiming that “responsible” people develop strategies to prevent the worst from happening, like sexual assault, implies that those who do experience the worst were irresponsible. They did not watch their drinks closely enough or make safety agreements with friends. Further, there are issues with these prevention strategies. Because a friend or acquaintance is more likely to drug someone, rather than a stranger, keeping friends close won’t necessarily keep us the safest. Secondly, because alcohol is the most common rape drug, watching if someone spikes our alcoholic drink will not make a difference. To avoid victim-blaming we must place all responsibility for any drugging or sexual assault on the agent
whose behaviour we are addressing, the offender.
Meagan Simon Public Educator Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton
from the
web
Rocking the old-school fax machine RE: (“Cling to obsolescence: why do we still bother with fax machines?” Jordan Ching, February 2) What about when you need to send a document with a signature or two, or some sort of stamp authenticating some sort of transaction? Scanning and sending a signed document doesn’t help the receiving end feel better ‘cause of photoshopping or copy/pasting. Some places legally require a fax and not a scanned copy. Until those laws change, we’ll have to keep using faxes.
“Kevin O.” Via Internet
A four-step guide to fax forgery RE: (“Cling to obsolescence: why do we still bother with fax machines?” Jordan Ching, February 2) Step 1: Scan the document. Step 2: “Photoshop” it (or use any
other image editor, like Krita) Step 3: Re-print document. Step 4: Fax document. If your computer still has a modem, you can even skip Step 3 and send the file directly as a fax. Faxing does not in any way prevent fraud or forgery. That’s just bullshit perpetuated by businesses and those involved in such endeavors, who are notoriously lazy and full of inertia against change. (I don’t mean that it’s even deliberate; they probably believe it, deluding themselves.) You know those chips in newer debit and credit cards? That technology was invented in 1968, i.e. before modern fax machines. But as much as our Rah Rah Capitalism society would claim otherwise, businesses are often glacially slow at adopting completely logical technological improvements. There are no rational reasons why fax machines need to still exist. There’s no justification for these machines still existing and being used, other than inertia, laziness, and some good old-fashioned fear of change. That, and that alone, has kept fax machines alive, and likely will for quite some time.
“Keith Z-G”
Via Internet
Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@gateway.ualberta.ca. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 400 words, and should include the author’s name, program, year of study.
8
Opinion
thursday, february 3, 2011
www.thegatewayonline.ca
Vending machines: the future of shopping at the U of A Opinion Staff
Group Commentary
father didn’t die in a hilarious bestiality accident! Yeah, you’d better cry.” It’s easy to see who wins that argument. Comeback Machines are the future of intelligent public discourse. And to those who would mock my idea, I can only say that, uh, well you’re, um ... a really dumb ... guy ... you jerk.
Carole Yue Japan is known for its vending machines, selling everything from gold to live crabs. The Gateway staff have a few suggestions for vending machines around campus and in Edmonton that would be a wise investment for any budding entrepreneur.
Ross Vincent It happens to the best of us: you’re having a conversation with a friend, a co-worker, or some fiendish rogue, and they hit you with a cutting insult. Taken aback, you desperately search for the words to cobble together a retort, but in vain. Humiliated, you yield to your rival’s wicked burn, while he sits there basking in his smug glory, only to think of the perfect comeback minutes, nay, seconds after the moment has passed. This is where vending machine technology can save the day. Rather than risk losing face by actually thinking of something clever to say, you can buy a retort from a Comeback Machine while still in the midst of clever repartée. Conveniently located near all social centres, Comeback Machines would dispense hilarious witticisms appropriate to the situation, ranging from a modestly-priced “no, you shut up” to the more upscale “your mother told me the same thing last night, but her mouth was full at the time.” Indeed, with so much personal information available from social networks, these machines could generate some hauntingly accurate jibes. “Oh, I dress effeminately, do I? Well, at least my
For the university student living away from home, the pursuit of clean laundry is a lost cause. Gone are the days when you could throw your clothes and unmentionables into a hamper and expect the articles to later appear neatly folded on your bed, courtesy of a doting parent. On your own, it isn’t just washing machine accessibility you have to deal with; it’s time availability. The average university student takes five courses per semester, betters themselves socially by making valuable posts on Facebook and Twitter, and drives the campus economy by purchasing large quantities of low-quality sustenance. It’s surprising that anyone would even have the time to walk slowly on their way to class, especially when someone is walking behind them. But I digress. With so little time allotted to us, how can we be expected to have clean underwear every day? Dirty clothes are more forgiving, a dash of Febreze in the crotch area and you’re set. But underwear knows our body so intimately, and there are only two clean sides to use. So to help out the busy student, I propose that we have underwear vending machines installed on campus. Not only will this ensure students always have unimpeded access to clean drawers, even during exams, but it will also save face for those individuals who suffer from incidental incontinence while on campus. And for those cold and windy wintery days when you’ve forgotten your balaclava at home,
kathryn Dutchak
you can substitute a nice pair of women’s underwear. I understand the crotch area can serve as a nice nose cozy.
Ryan Bromsgrove There’s only one thing that the crazy vending machine market is missing: kittens. Why make your way to a pet store to pick out the host body for mystic familiar, when you could simply insert cash, push a few buttons, and receive a plastic box containing a kitten? Pet stores smell bad, are full of children getting their greasy hands all over innocent animals, and the employees don’t respond well to questions like, “Do you know if the fur on this one will fall out when possessed by a lesser demon of the fifteenth plane?” Some might declare inhumane the proposed
practice of keeping newborn kittens in tiny boxes and displaying them in noisy malls. But it need not be. With one-way mirrors and soundproofing, the kittens will not only be insulated from the distressing sights and sounds of the mall, but will also be in womb-like conditions, promoting feelings of safeness and security. A tiny tube can periodically pump in treats from a sponsoring pet food company to each kitten, while a sloped floor and a system of gentle suction devices can slowly drain the boxes of waste. We have the technology, and I certainly hope we put it to use very soon. The equinox gets closer every day, and without a fresh kitten, the ritual cannot be completed. Vending machines strip away the very tricky social interactions involved with buying things, and when it comes to kittens, I need that more than ever.
The Gateway
Opinion
volume ci number 31
Council’s wish list lacks priorities Ryan Bromsgrove
W
e need a downtown arena, or the Oilers will leave us. We need a fancy and expensive new bridge, or nobody will take us seriously as a city. We need to pay our councillors more so that, I assume, they can find new ways to spend money on things that we need. The downtown arena apparently has a lot of support, at least from the sorts of people who think that you can have nice things and just conjure up the money to pay for them. And if you’re not immediately sold on the “wouldn’t it be so cool if we had an arena downtown” idea, you’ll either be made to like it, or Daryl Katz, owner of the Oilers, will take our hockey team away. But regardless of how you feel about it, the arena project shows no signs of ceasing its steamroll through city council, so you’re just going to have to accept downtown grinding to a halt during future hockey games. The zoning has been approved and the city is in negotiations with the Katz Group, who have graciously offered to fund $100 million of the $450-million total cost of their arena. The rest? $250 million from the city, and $100 million that we’ll deal with
“It’s about time we took pride in and celebrate what we have, instead of trying desperately to compete with other cities, fearful that if someone else has a prettier bridge, we somehow lose our significance. Edmonton has a ridiculous inferiority complex, and trying to be the best is a game not worth playing.” later — because heaven forbid the Oilers have to keep playing at Rexall, the arena that we already have. You know, the one that we’ve all enjoyed many events in. No, we can do better. Only the best for the overpaid symbols of Edmonton’s ill-placed priorities. Although, perhaps there is merit to the argument that sometimes it’s worth blowing a hell of a lot of money on something spectacular for the sake of the city’s future. It could give Edmonton something special that sets it apart and attracts more people. So maybe we should build the arena, so long as it’s the only enormous expense. Wait, no. Let’s have a beautiful, $250-million signature bridge as well. The Walterdale Bridge is reaching the end of its life span, leaving us with the choice of building a firm, functional, but oh-so-plain and boring bridge to replace it, or building a bridge that we can be proud of. Saskatoon has nice bridges. Calgary has nice bridges. So we need a nice bridge. Otherwise, the people in those other cities will laugh at us, or something. Ultimately, the problem isn’t with one or two expensive developments — it’s that everyone has their own
The best possible solutions for world’s overpopulation Kevin Penny (CUP)
T
his world really isn’t big enough for the both of us. In 2011, you will be one of the seven billion people living on Earth. This might seem insignificant at first glance, but we are going to have to face the fact that there’s only so much room on the third rock from the sun. While you take a minute of your time to read this article, over 200 new babies will have been born around the world. It’s a startling fact of how quickly our population has boomed since the industrial age. After all, we were only at a mere billion a century ago. Now, with advances in agriculture and medical care, people are breeding like never before, and living longer and longer. To be fair, Canadians aren’t a big source of the problem. The state of California has a bigger population than our whole country, so we’re not in any immediate danger of running out of room. In fact, Canadians have a declining population with our birth rate at a measly 1.5 kids per family. This doesn’t mean we won’t have to face the consequences of overpopulation, though. The more people we have on Earth, the more food and water we will need to survive. This means more land has to be devoted to agriculture, and more water reserves have to be tapped. If we continue to deplete our
resources in order to feed more and more people, the Earth’s soil won’t be able to sustain our continued ravaging. Whenever I think of overpopulation, it takes me back to my high school days in biology class drawing graphs of elk populations. My teacher would always tell us how overpopulation of the elk would lead to resource depletion, environmental stress and an eventual crash of the population due to disease and starvation.
We could try eugenics again, but last time it was openly praised, a world war broke out. It never occurred to me that humans could have replaced the elk in that graph, but now I’m starting to think we have. There is no easy answer to this problem. We could try eugenics again, but last time it was openly praised, a world war broke out. Maybe cannibalism could help, but I don’t think humans have enough nutritional value to be part of the daily diet. It seems we are stuck with an everincreasing population, so maybe it’s time to go back to our roots and start colonizing — outer space, that is. Space is big — really big. It’s been over 40 years since we put a man on the moon, so why can’t we go back and plant a condominium next to Neil Armstrong’s footprints? Let’s face it, the world isn’t big enough for our population to keep increasing; it’s time we start expanding our horizons on where we will live in the next hundred years.
multimillion-dollar pet project. We can spend billions on entertainment and elegance in an attempt to get more people to like Edmonton, but no one is going to stick around if the snow isn’t getting cleared off the streets. Edmonton already has plenty to offer. We have fantastic festivals and vibrant shopping areas, a good university, a beautiful river valley, and a perfectly functional and accessible arena. It’s about time we celebrate and take pride in what we have, instead of trying desperately to compete with other cities, fearful that if someone else has a prettier bridge, we somehow lose our significance. Edmonton has a ridiculous inferiority complex, and trying to be the best is a game not worth playing. It is far more productive to focus on achievable improvements that have useful and tangible benefits for all Edmontonians, like getting decent transit, than erecting monument after monument in a vain attempt at being better than Calgary. Real, productive growth — not massive glamour projects — are what will make the city worth living in. And maybe city council can have its raise when it realizes that.
burlap
sack
the
After a week of nice temperatures, we once again got plunged into weather described as “bitterly cold” by the Weather Channel, and they don’t sling that kind of terminology around lightly. In light of this, I was going to plug in my car so that it sounded a little less like a wounded animal when I started it. But lo and behold, some asshat decided to swipe my extension cord from in front of my house. Stealing is already bad enough, and I should know — having had two licence plates stolen from two separate vehicles. While that’s more of a minor inconvenience, anybody who’s lived in Canada for a winter or two knows the importance of plugging in your car in cold weather, and why it’s such a douche move to rob someone else of that ability. Even though my car will typically start in most kinds of weather, I’d rather know for sure that it’ll fire up when I need it. Now, I either have to drop another $20 for a new one, or hope the weather stays warm. So, to the fuckbucket who stole my extension cord, hopefully your block heater catches fire.
Jordan Ching The Burlap Sack is a semi-regular feature where a person or group who needs to be put in a sack and beaten is ridiculed in print. No sack beatings are actually administered, although writers may occasionally threaten bodily harm or wish death and destruction upon the offending parties. Please don’t come to our office and arrest us, we mostly don’t mean it.
9
10
Opinion
thursday, february 3, 2011
There’s too many weeks this year Alix Kemp
A
ntiFreeze. Involvement Week. Geer Week. International Week. What the fuck is it with all these weeks? It seems like every time I turn around, the U of A, the Students’ Union, or some other organization on campus is hosting a week to try and guilt students into participating, as if they can’t quite get the message that I just don’t care. Look, I came to university to go to class, study, and then go home. I never signed up to attend social events, try to improve the world around me, or make friends, and I resent the implication that any of these activities should be part of the postsecondary experience. Anything that might distract me from my classes, or make me a better person, is a waste of the hard-earned money my parents give me to go to university. Between all the students groups and clubs, and these constant events on campus, it seems like the university is determined to tempt students from their studies. Consider the upcoming Festival of Teaching — why would you have a festival to celebrate teaching? While students and teachers are busy celebrating, nobody is actually focusing on their coursework. It’s the same thing with events like Involvement Week or Israel Apartheid Week — when you get students to
consider issues either on a global scale or within their own local communities, you run the risk they might be inspired to do something stupid, like actually get involved. Take the current International Week — with discussions about migrant labour and immigration, it encourages students to think about topics beyond those discussed in their classes, while the closing concert celebrates expanding our cultural boundaries. Who has time for that? Also, these events are also occasionally fun, which is utterly appall-
ing. Students shouldn’t be coming to university with any expectation they might enjoy themselves, and they certainly shouldn’t be offered opportunities to consume alcohol, dance, go to parties, or otherwise do anything not directly related to their major or minor subject of study. It is my fervent hope that the university or the SU will step in and put an end to these distractions. At the very least, someone should host a four-day event encouraging students to attend all their classes, skip club meetings, and have as little fun as possible.
readerpoll
“Who would you like to see succeed Ed Stelmach as Premier of Alberta?”
Nick Dehod (52%) Indira Samarasekera (18%) Danielle Smith (12%)
David Swann (12%)
Ted Morton (7%) total responses: 60
This week’s question: “What do you think about the potential changes to Lister floors?”
vote online at thegatewayonline.ca
www.thegatewayonline.ca
ThreeLinesFree Got something that you need to get off your mind? Either email us at threelinesfree@gateway.ualberta.ca, tweet @threelinesfree, or message us at www.thegatewayonline.ca/threelinesfree No faux hawks!!! Work a little harder, work another way Dear people who walk down the wrong side of hub mall: you suck. Did you know that there are bats living in the Chem building? True story, If you stay late enough you can occasionally see one flying around. What was with all the security at Freezing Man? Heaven forbid someone bring in their own granola bar. To: couple furiously going at it in various locations. Fuck off. Sincerely: the rest of the world To my stalker: 2 things: 1) I’M NOT GAY, though you probably are; 2) more people know about your actions than you think. --Peace. CCIS: The future of students not being able to tell what the fuck is going on in lecture. Shouldn’t The Gateway be running more articles on usage based bandwidth? I don’t think Canadians realize how doomed we really are. To the Gorgeous Cellist at Leva: Sorry I was too dumb to say hello. Stop texting during class time, lame asses. It’s actually really distracting, you know. Ok, I understand comics are hard to write (I’ve tried). But holy moly do these ones suck. Except Dick and Douche. Comic gold right there people. Questions guy in CMPUT 114: Lay off a little...20+ questions a class is quite excessive. I can’t stand the TLFs that tell so-and-so from such-and-such a class to shut up. Everyone has an equal right to learn and to participate in classes. I was just informed by a dude friend that guys prefer bjs to actual sex. Is this for real? What the fuck. Ithink Like a Little is creepy to the max.
There’s this brilliant site called likealittle. Search for it. Best way to get everyone out of SUB: Loud effing presentations that nobody pays attention to. Dear 20something year-old boys: it is called DEODERANT, please wear it, it’s difficult to hold my breath for 50min “Calvin”, Thank you so much for finding and returning my phone! Hey, stats labs. You know what would be fantastic? If more than 10% of your computers fucking turned on to the guy in front of me in HE ED 110 this morning: I don’t care if you’re a first year or not, learn how to behave in class. THIS MEANS TALKING ON YOUR PHONE IN THE HALL, NOT IN CLASS. and to the gigglers in Edit 202: stop acting like teenagers with estrogen overloads and grow up. I want to have sex in Rutherford Library before I graduate in April. Girlfriend won’t do it. Seeking applicants. Come one, come all. CUDDLER WANTED. No sex. Just cuddles. Preference to those who like being the big spoon. I’m 4 years into my useless degree and will get nothing out of it. Spend your time doing useful and fun things. Like masturbating. I don’t care how big you are, you still only get half of the hallway.
The Gateway reserves the right to edit any submissions, as well as refuse publication of any submission it deems racist, sexist, hateful, libellous, or overtly offensive. The Gateway cannot guarantee that your submission will be used (but we’ll try). Submissions should be 130 characters max (including spaces).
A&E
entertainment@gateway.ualberta.ca
thursday, february 3, 2011
social
intercourse
Rob Moir
With Twilight Hotel and F&M Friday, February 6 at 8 p.m. The Haven Social Club (15120 Stony Plain Road) $8 at yeglive.ca A young bearded man by the name of Rob Moir is coming to Edmonton to do what every young bearded man does in Edmonton: play an acoustic guitar and sing about loneliness, love, and ladies. Formerly of Dead Letter Dept., Moir abandoned his punk-rock roots in favour of a quieter, more rustic folk sound. His performance will also feature the talents of Twilight Hotel and F&M. As far as I know, the former band’s music doesn’t involve watching mopey teenagers go to a sketchy motel in the middle of the night and ... argue some more about what their love means. Or play some vampire baseball. Instead, you’d be delighted to hear that Twilight Hotel’s poppy folk tunes will be much more soothing to listen to than a vapid teen drama. Fortunately, F&M aren’t held back by any immediate pop culture references. Instead, the husband-and-wife duo features amazing accordion solos.
Hail the Villain
With No Heat Tomorrow and Hollywood Assassyn Friday, February 4 at 8 p.m. The Pawn Shop (10549-82 Avenue) $15 at yeglive.ca If folky, alternative bands that are different just like everybody else aren’t quite your thing, perhaps you’d like to see a show with so much pent-up aggression that the singer spits on everyone in the front row. Hard-rock screamo band Hail the Villain will be down at the Pawn Shop this weekend to project liquids onto your face. A group from Oshawa, Ont., Hail the Villain sings dark, ghastly material alongside crunchy guitar riffage and thunderous drums. With some method to the madness, Hail the Villain doesn’t plan on stopping there — they’ve already produced anime videos, a comic book, and singer Bryan Crouch somehow hopes to get a movie deal out of the whole thing. Seeing as how Hail the Villain’s music video for their latest Single “Runaway” starts off with a girl shooting herself in the mouth, I’m honestly scared of how a feature-length film will turn out.
Edmonton’s poster child no longer a child Michael Rault discusses the influence of the city and his father’s radio showin his career
musicpreview Michael Rault
Saturday, February 5 at 12 p.m. Permanent Records (8126 Gateway Blvd.) Free
Madeline Smith
Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Friday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 5 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Rexall Place (7424-118 Avenue) $15-50 at ticketmaster.ca or at the door That shit still wasn’t hardcore enough for you? Well, Alberta is about as redneck as you can get in Canada: we have the farms, the cattle, the oil, and the trucks. But what we’re missing are the big trucks — the goddamn monster trucks. This weekend, Rexall Place will be switching out their shiny white ice for a grungy brown dirt course complete with decrepit cars and rings of fire. While the Oilers are out on the road rebuilding their team by losing terribly, Advance Auto Parts will be bringing their monster trucks to Rexall. Grab a few cans of Pilsner, throw on your least-stained wife beater, get yourself smashed and hammered, and then watch cars get smashed and hammered. With up to five tons of steel and 1500-horsepower, methanol-injected engines, each of the trucks get 90-second runs to show off their talent performing three-point turns and parallel parking. And by threepoint turns and parallel parking, I mean massive wheelies and smashing school buses, respectively.
Aaron Yeo
The Five Billion Dollar Man
Michael Rault has been a musician for almost onethird of his life. At a time when most other teens are focused on getting their driver’s licence or finding a part-time job, the local blues singer was busy writing songs and booking gigs for his own band. “I’m kind of fuzzy on where the timeline [of my career] is,” Rault laughs. “It’s funny, because I was just talking to a friend about another Edmonton musician, and I was like, ‘How long has he been at it?’ He’s a bit older than me, and I was thinking, ‘He’s been doing this for so long — it’s crazy!’ ” “And then they were like, ‘How long have you been making music publicly?’ And I realized I was 15 when I started playing in bands, so that’s seven years already. I’m working towards my 10-year anniversary of doing this, which is kind of bizarre,” he grins. At 22, Rault is already a veteran in the music industry, and the majority of his rise to his current position — including a spot on Pirates Blend, the independently managed record label of Canadian heavyweights Bedouin Soundclash — was accomplished during his mid-teens. As a result, although Rault is no longer a teenager, he still finds, to his chagrin, that some people have a hard time letting go of his youthful image. “A couple years back when I was 20 and the drummer in my band at the time was 21, we were like, ‘Now that we’re 20 and 21, we’re actually
going to be a band, not a kid band!’ But still, when they went to shows, people would be like, ‘How old are you guys? You’re so young!’ I was like, ‘Shut up; I’m 20!’ ” he laughs. Rault’s gravelly voice and old-school rock ‘n’ roll guitar stylings might seem more fitting for a grizzled Delta bluesman than a guy who still gets asked to show his ID, but his musical development began early. His father, Lionel Rault, has been involved in the Edmonton music scene for decades as both a folk musician and radio host, providing Michael with exposure to a diversity of sounds from a young age.
“It’s not that bad of a lot to be a city that gets to develop tons of awesome art.” Michael Rault
“In the time that my dad started working at CKUA, he was doing the R&B Revue,” Rault explains. “At that point in time, he was doing tons of research. […] He was just downloading stuff, burning CDs, going to the library, getting other collections over at our place to make tapes or CDs — just compiling as much as he possibly could.” As a result, Rault’s childhood was full of music that most kids his age probably weren’t experiencing. “There is a whole area of R&B and soul that just reminds me of being 10 years old and having my dad research that radio show all the time,” he recalls. “It’s really honest music, I suppose.” It’s easy to see the influence of this period in
the songs Rault writes now, but he surprisingly gained his footing in the Edmonton scene by first playing punk and garage rock in a series of projects throughout his teens. It was the shifting music scene in the city that eventually pushed him to get more creative with his performances. “When I was 16, it seemed like [the Edmonton scene] was exploding,” Rault says. “When I was in Michael Rault and the Mixed Signals, a bunch of other bands all shot up around the same time. We started playing shows together and it felt really exciting. My records were getting popular at other high schools than my own and people that we didn’t know were showing up to our shows and singing along to the songs.” “Then things got really slow for a while,” he continues, “which started to play into my solo career because the shows were harder and harder to get. By myself, I could play a bunch of cafes and places that weren’t technically music venues.” Although Rault grew up in the Edmonton music scene, his career is now taking him away from the city for longer periods of time. After touring across Canada, Rault will go overseas later this month, visiting Paris to play a festival. But if Edmonton serves as a training ground for young artists like Rault to move onto grander horizons, the people of the city can’t complain. “Every time I come back and see what [Edmonton artists] are doing, there’s always a lot of interesting stuff,” Rault says. “Everyone tends to move away, but that’s cool. It’s not that bad of a lot to be a city that gets to develop tons of awesome art — you can’t really keep someone tied up in the same place forever. “But there is definitely something in the water — or the sky, or something, that makes people make interesting art in this place.”
12
Arts & Entertainment
thursday, february 3, 2011
www.thegatewayonline.ca
New Hopkins horror flick can’t measure up to its Exorcist ghosts filmreview The Rite
Directed By Mikael Håfström Starring Colin O’Donoghue, Anthony Hopkins, and Ciarán Hinds Now Playing
Kory Orban
Arts & Entertainment Writer
Regardless of your particular brand of religion, creed, or atheism, one thing can’t be argued: the devil is one badass motherfucker. It should probably be expected then that in the coming weeks, El Diablo will be after the producers of The Rite for creating a film about his powers that is simply not scary enough. The movie begins with the typical horror trademarks: an ominous quote, a disclaimer that the following events are based on a true story, creepy music, and a recently deceased person. As the film opens, Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue) is sewing the mouth of a young woman’s lifeless body shut in the basement of his father’s funeral home. Kovak, an out-of-the-closet agnostic, is desperate to escape the family business as make-up artists to the dead, and opts for the only logical alternative: seminary school. Eventually, the audience is taken to Rome, the perfect backdrop for the remainder of the film, where Michael attends a class in exorcism. It is here that we meet Father
Lucas Trevant (Anthony Hopkins), a seasoned exorcist. Although Michael rejects the legitimacy of Father Lucas’ work, he follows him on a tour of the horrific world of demonic possession. It is within the confines of this relationship that the first of the film’s shortcomings becomes apparent: Hannibal the Cannibal himself, Sir Anthony Hopkins, is a heavy hitter in the horror genre, and Colin O’Donoghue just can’t hold his own against the veteran.
The unfortunate reality is that The Rite is to The Exorcist as non-alcoholic beer is to beer: the same idea, just with all the good shit taken out. O’Donoghue is a complete failure in his attempt to portray a young priest struggling with his faith. Instead he seems whiny and indecisive when he provides insight into why allegedly possessed people might be acting so strangely. However, O’Donoghue can’t solely shoulder the blame for the film’s failures. It’s clear that this was an attempt to create a traditional horror film where suspense leads to seat-jarring surprises, but the tone just isn’t there. The only real scares in the movie are
when the director uses the cinematic equivalents of exclaiming “Boo,” like when one of the possessed unexpectedly lunges from a seated position to grab at a protagonist. The Rite’s subject matter makes it destined to be compared to one of the genre’s most quintessential offerings, The Exorcist. Director Mikael Håfström knew this and tried to take advantage of it by including similarities like the debate over demonic possession versus sanity, and clever references to pea soup and boxing. The unfortunate reality is that The Rite is to The Exorcist as non-alcoholic beer is to beer: the same idea, just with all the good shit taken out. Your time is probably better spent going out and renting The Exorcist itself — or maybe just spending two hours seeing how high you can count. Either way, you’ll be more entertained and probably more scared. The devil knows how to scare the shit out of people better than anyone. Frankly, The Rite should have taken the lead offered by the mack daddy of all things evil, and created fear out of subtlety and mood instead of using cheap editing tricks and special effects to creep people out. If the greatest scam Satan ever played was convincing the world that he never existed, then The Rite should have gone one step further and just never existed as well. At least then, Håfström would have done something that Lucifer could have been proud of.
The Gateway
volume ci number 31
Advertisement
13
14
Arts & Entertainment
thursday, february 3, 2011
www.thegatewayonline.ca
Vancouver’s Elias aches over album heartbreaks musicpreview Elias
With Finger Eleven and The Envy Saturday, February 5 at 7 p.m. Edmonton Event Centre (8882-170 Street) $51 at ticketmaster.ca
Brendan Fitzgerald
Arts & Entertainment Writer
Elias is a band that suffers for their art. Listening to their music, it’s obvious that the Vancouver four-piece has spent years pouring their emotional struggles into their albums, and their latest release Lasting Distraction is no different. “It’s always been said that it’s easier to write a sad song than a happy one,” guitarist Rob Tornroos explains. “We’ve
always leaned towards the darker, more emotional side of music, which is actually quite different from what most other Vancouver bands are doing right now.” The album’s lead single “All We Want” is a perfect example of the band’s sombre side. Although the song was written by Elias’ presumably heartbroken vocalist Brian Healy over the course of a single night, Tornroos says he has his own emotional connection to it as well. “I think that each song that we have over time takes different meanings for each band member,” Tornroos explains. “I don’t know if I feel as emotional about it when I see the lyrics as when Brian does. I don’t know specifically what he’s talking about, but I know what I feel when I play it, so I definitely have an emotional stake in it.” With so much of Lasting Distraction
inspired by tragedy and loneliness, it seems that all Elias’ recent success might leave them without enough material for their next album. However, Tornroos maintains that life on tour provides ample opportunity for heartache. “One day, you could be writing a song about some girl you met in Montreal; the next, you could be writing about the loneliness of the prairies and not having seen that girl for a month,” he says. In spite of this, there are no guarantees the next Elias record will be full of sadness. “It could end up being some concept album about space,” Tornroos laughs, but acknowledges “there will probably end up being some break-up songs on there because that’s just the way things go.” With regards to the future, Tornroos can only be truly certain about one
thing: Elias will remain outsiders in their hometown of Vancouver. “The music scene [in Vancouver] always changes so much — there’s always this big fad, and if you’re not part of the fad, you’re not cool,” Tornroos says. “There was a grungy fad, an indie fad, and then today is like countryfolk. And I’m friends with a lot of these people who are doing really well […] but we won’t play shows with them because, for some reason, our music does not fit.” “We’ve always had a hard time finding venues and bands in Vancouver,” Tornroos continues. “We were doing all right in the beginning, during the middle part of the decade, but then we took a break and the whole scene seemed to change while we were away. And so we came back with [Lasting Distraction] and we were kind of old-timers, almost
forgotten. And so it started again, trying to get back into the Vancouver music scene.” Although they may feel they’re “not cool” in Vancouver, Elias has been recently spotlighted as one of Canada’s emerging bands in XM Radio’s “The Verge” contest, and the attention they’ve been receiving has earned them a spot on tour with Finger Eleven, leading them to new cities that may be more receptive to their sound. “We gotta play where people accept us,” Tornroos concludes. “Vancouver doesn’t really right now, but maybe they will in the future.” Through their music, and all the love lost in the process of making it, perhaps Elias will find its new love in an accepting community, looking beyond the Vancouver horizon to a time of promise.
The Gateway
Arts & Entertainment
volume ci number 31
15
A frank discussion of relationships in Communion theatrepreview Communion
Written by Daniel MacIvor Directed by Marianne Copithorne Starring Natascha Girgis, Kate Ryan, and Sarah Sharkey The Roxy Theatre (10708–124 Street) Runs February 3–20, Tuesday to Saturday at 8 p.m. 2 p.m. Sunday matinées $23 with valid student ID at the Roxy Theatre box office
Jane Voloboeva
Arts & Entertainment Writer
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’re all wondering how many cards and chocolates we’ll rake in this year. But do we really think past the material aspects concerning our most personal relationships? In Communion, the story of three women at very different stages of their lives, the characters are given similarly taxing questions to consider. “It’s nice to see that the characters are dealing with the same questions that we do in life and that they don’t necessarily have the answers to them,” says actress Natascha Girgis. “They assist one another in motherly, friendly, loving ways in times of need — by listening,
challenging, and just being there.” Girgis plays the role of Leda, a troubled mother who tries to make amends with her daughter after years of parenting difficulties. There are complicating factors in all the show’s relationships — an alcohol addiction, a radical religious change, a lack of trust — but whatever the obstacle may be, the play’s underlying focus remains the struggle to understand someone else’s point of view. “A new approach is tried every time to be heard, to have sway, to penetrate that crust that [one] has built over the years; just by using different approaches, different attacks,” explains Girgis regarding Communion’s themes. With many abstract works about human relationships flooding the theatre scene, Girgis offers assurance that this portrayal focuses on offering a relatable experience to the audience. “I would say it’s a realistic play, and people will relate to it because we all know someone who’s at the end of their life questioning their purpose and all things that they haven’t put closure to,” she says. “What regrets would we have? Has there been a point to our life? Have we made an impression? Are we special to someone?” There are undoubtedly many questions posed to the audience throughout Communion’s three acts, but there are
Supplied: Ian Jackson
also many answers that are offered — and they’re not necessarily sugar-coated. Playwright Daniel McIvor has craftily taken predictable characterizations out of his story, instead replacing them with strong, complex personalities and difficult life journeys. “As an audience member, I appreciate seeing the ugly being represented in the circumstances,” says Girgis. “[The actors are] allowed to go to dark places, so they’re just some catalyst for some-
one else’s journey. As a human being, I appreciate the breadth and scope being portrayed. They don’t have to be perfect; in fact, it’s frustrating if they are. “Everyone wants to stand out, be special, have an impact, be something out of the ordinary, or elicit some kind of response from someone by virtually doing something they don’t expect,” Girgis continues, specifically relating to her character’s attempts to be unpredictable and different.
Girgis’ strong connection to her character underlies the play’s general ability to present difficult subject matter in a relatable way. By fulfilling her own role, Girgis says she has also discovered Communion’s ability to expose the roles we all play in our own lives. “I was affected by the notion of fulfilling one’s purpose — whether it’s your own purpose or how you can affect others and help them find their way.”
16
Feature
thursday, february 3, 2011
www.thegatewayonline.ca
Restless illustrated by derrick nguyen
Most students have trouble getting enough sleep. But a rising number of students have problems sleeping at all. Insomnia can be crippling when you’re trying to keep up with your classes. Mariana Ionova of The
Eyeopener investigates, looking at the long-term consequences and possible treatments available to those who pull all-nighters, even when they don’t have to.
A
t 4 a.m., Justin Bull is still feverishly typing away at his computer, trying to tire his mind into submission with an assignment that isn’t due for weeks. His eyes are bloodshot and his lids are heavy, but sleep is almost impossible. The second-year computer science student has spent countless nights like this since he developed insomnia four years ago. Bull had been a straight-A student in high school, but within a few months of developing the disorder, he became so sleep deprived that he couldn’t focus on anything. Soon, his grades began slipping. “I don’t know how I even got the marks to get into university.” Even though he was accepted into Ryerson, his sleep problems intensified as essays and assignments began piling up. His insomnia came in spurts and bouts. He could sleep normally for days and then go for a full week with barely a nap. No matter how exhausted, he found himself suddenly becoming alert and unable to halt his racing thoughts at night. “It’s this sudden burst of energy around [midnight], as if I’ve had coffee, even though I haven’t.” Sleep disturbances are among the most common problems plaguing university students, who often toss and turn with anxiety about their course work, their jobs, or their social lives. About a third of students report occasional difficulty falling or staying asleep, and between
The Gateway
Feature
volume ci number 31
10–20 per cent experience chronic insomnia. Symptoms of insomnia typically include difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and can vary in severity. Students who experience symptoms for less than one week are said to have transient insomnia, while those who have trouble sleeping for anywhere between one and three weeks are classified as having short-term insomnia. If the problem continues for longer than three weeks, it is considered to be chronic insomnia. Colleen Carney, an assistant professor of psychology at Ryerson, said that insomnia is a growing problem among university students because campuses are breeding grounds for stressors that can keep students up at night. She came to Ryerson in 2008 from North Carolina’s Duke University to direct a new sleep and depression lab that specializes in conducting clinical trials for people experiencing insomnia and depression. Carney explained that, much of the time, students are kept up by situational factors that come with university life. Insomnia often kicks in when a student is worrying about passing an exam the following morning or trying to tune out their roommate’s 5 a.m. karaoke after-party.
“Sometimes it’s hard to tell if a student actually has a sleeping disturbance or if they just have lots of stressors related to university life,” Carney said. But, aside from noisy rooming arrangements and looming assignment deadlines, the biggest contributor to insomnia is the wildly fluctuating time schedule that most students keep. Carney said most students go to bed at different times each night, which throws off the body’s biological clock. And, when you try to go to sleep at an earlier time, your body doesn’t recognize that it’s time to wind down yet. The lack of sleep that follows extended periods of insomnia can eventually catch up with students and cause serious health problems. In some cases, insomniacs can end up being hospitalized for exhaustion. “They think nothing of pulling an all-nighter,” she said about time-strapped university students, adding that most don’t even consider the significant impacts sleep deprivation can have on the body. But Carney warned that even if irregular sleeping schedules don’t land students in the hospital, they can still put a tremendous amount of stress on the body. The effect of sleep deprivation
resembles intense jet lag after a long flight and often results in reduced concentration, lapses in memory, poor co-ordination, irritability, and impaired social functioning. At the beginning of last semester, Bull had reached that point. His insomnia was interfering with his academic and social life so much that he had to start taking prescription medication to get to sleep. He had struggled to concentrate in his classes and began to fear that his grades would deteriorate. “I’m basically on autopilot. I can’t absorb information properly. After three nights of no sleep, you feel miserable.” But after nearly five months on medication, he decided to stop taking it. “I don’t like the idea of depending on a pill to get me to sleep,” he explained, noting that he now tries to overcome insomnia with more natural sleep inducers like herbal teas. Research on sleep disorders has also shown a strong link between insomnia and depression, with nearly 40 per cent of insomniacs also reporting depressive symptoms. “If you have insomnia, it can worsen into depression,” said Molly Atwood, a fourth-year Ryerson psychology student who works with patients participating in a lab trial focused on
17
insomnia. She noted that much of the time, prolonged sleep deprivation leads to irritability and a negative mood that can become chronic in students. Olya Shuhatovich, manager of the Sleep Research Lab at Ryerson, said that one way to treat insomnia is through cognitive behavioral therapy, which aims to change individuals’ sleeping habits and to teach them positive routines that will improve their sleeping patterns. The therapy focuses on teaching those suffering from sleeping disorders how to create an environment that promotes rest, set regular sleeping schedules, and avoid stimulating foods and beverages. Shuhatovic said the therapy has helped many patients overcome sleep problems. “It’s very effective. We’ve had people completely recover in the trial in four sessions.” For Bull, one thing that helped him cope with insomnia was incorporating regular exercise into his schedule. “I have started going to the gym and tiring my body, and it seems to be working.” But the most important change that he has made has been curbing his anxiety about school and life. “I’ve tried really hard to keep low stress levels. It definitely helps.”
Sleep disturbances are among the most common problems plaguing university students, who often toss and turn with anxiety about their course work, their jobs, or their social lives. About a third of students report occasional difficulty falling or staying asleep, and between 10–20 per cent experience chronic insomnia.
Tips for a good night’s sleep
Wind down
Keep your room cool
Most of the time, the reason students can’t sleep is because they load up on caffeine and carbohydrates shortly before going to bed. Ideally, do not drink coffee after 2 p.m. and avoid ravaging a pack of chips or half a tub of ice cream at least three hours before going to bed. Some students also rely on nightcaps or binge drinking to get to sleep quickly, but this type of therapy, while effective, results in poor quality sleep.
Cranking up the heat in your bedroom may be tempting on a freezing night, but slowly broiling yourself could be the reason why you toss and turn in bed for four hours. Experts say students can curb sleeping problems by keeping their room temperature at about 19 degrees Celsius year-round.
No daytime naps
To avoid sleep problems, start preparing your body for rest about 90 minutes before actually going to bed. Avoid checking your email, watching TV, working on your laptop, or talking on the phone right before bedtime. Doing these activities in your bed can also lead you to associate it with everything but sleep, which can intensify insomnia.
Don’t eat or drink before bed
Most students are dying to take a quick, one-hour nap after pulling an all-nighter. This can confuse the body’s internal clock and lead to hours of insomnia at night. The best way to ensure a good sleep is to avoid daytime naps, no matter how tempting it may be to sprawl out in the student lounge.
Hold off on the workout
Have a regular bedtime
Get up when you can’t sleep
For most students, this is nearly impossible largely because of essays, jobs, and, most importantly, drunken Saturday nights. But insomnia experts recommend that those suffering from sleeping problems should at least try to go to bed at around the same time every night so that their bodies develop a routine.
Although exercise can help tire out the body and alleviate sleep disturbances, the adrenaline of a workout right before bed pumps up the body and leads to sleeplessness. Doctors recommend avoiding exercise at least three hours before bed. Most students who suffer from insomnia oftentimes lay awake for hours, frustrated and anxious about how tired they’ll be in the morning. Instead, get out of bed if you’re unable to fall asleep after 20 minutes and thumb through your riveting political science textbook.
Sports
sports@gateway.ualberta.ca
thursday, february 3, 2011
File Photo: AMirAli Sharifi
U of A Volleyball pays tribute to the Main Gym volleyballpreview Bears vs. Saskatchewan Huskies
February 4–5, 6:30 pm and 8 p.m. respectively Main Gym
Matt Hirji
Sports Editor
The Golden Bears volleyball squad will play their final regular season games in the Main Gym this weekend, bidding farewell to a facility where they’ve racked up more than 350 wins since the facility opened in 1958. Facing off against the Saskatchewan Huskies in a two-game series with playoff implications on the line, the Bears will pay tribute to a facility that’s housed them for more that 50 years. The Green and Gold will relocate to the newly constructed Go Center next season, but as Bears head coach Terry Danyluk explains, the final regular season games in the Main Gym provides an opportunity to reflect on a building that has fostered the growth of not only the varsity volleyball team, but also the broader Edmonton community. “The Main Gym has been a cornerstone for a lot of things that happen in the city,” Danyluk
cessful in sport. I think the guys have to have that within them. Obviously, we challenge them with “The Main Gym has been a cornerstone for a lot of things that happen training and we give them challenges with the in the city. So many things have happened in this building, so many opponents that we meet, but in the end, it’s up to our athletes to say, ‘Hey, this is what I want to be people have been educated here, so many life experiences have been doing, and I want to be doing it well.’ ” shared. It’s going to be sad not to play in this gym anymore.” Maintaining consistency will be the Golden Bears top priority this weekend. However, this Terry Danyluk Head Coach, Bears Volleyball is easier said than done. In addition to the distractions that will surely come with the farewell festivities inside the Main Gym, this year’s incarThe Green and Gold’s five seniors in particular nation of the Volley Bears have had difficulties said. “So many things have happened in this building, so many people have been edu- will be expected to raise their level of play for the navigating the ups and downs of a taxing season cated here; so many life experiences have been rest of the year. With only four games remain- in the ultra-competitive Canada West division. But shared. It’s going to be sad not to play in this gym ing in the regular-season and expectations for a returning home to familiar territory during such national championship trophy weighing heavy on an emotional weekend may just be the kick the anymore.” Currently ranked as the second-best team in the their shoulders, the team’s veterans will need to team needs to slingshot themselves forward to a country, the Bears have experienced a tremendous retain a steely resolve heading forward — some- successful post-season. “I really believe that this is one of the most volamount of success on their home turf so far this thing that Danyluk is optimistic his fifth-years leyball friendly gyms in the country. It’s fun to season — a near-perfect record only blemished by can accomplish. “I think anytime that you can add experi- play here, even as a visiting person, because the a 3–0 defeat at the hands of the Trinity Western ence, it’s beneficial. You get fewer things that crowd is so close,” Danyluk explained. Spartans in mid-November. “It’s been a great home for our program to However, despite their triumphs, in order for are surprises. You get more opportunities to the squad to give a fitting farewell to their historic gain knowledge over time, so the more experi- grow. I’m going to miss it. The building deserves home with a pair of wins against the Huskies and enced you are, the easier it is to adapt to certain its acknowledgement and I think it will get that. find success for the rest of the season, the Bears situations. You get physically stronger, intel- For this weekend, it’s great to honour the facilwill need to improve their consistency and draw lectually smarter — hopefully all those things ity, and the graduating players, but this is just another weekend of league for us. It’s important from the knowledge gained during their tenure at come together.” “Internal motivation is the key to being suc- for us to keep that in perspective.” the Main Gym.
Volley Pandas hope to sharpen skills as they head forward to playoffs volleyball preview Pandas vs. Saskatchewan Huskies February 4–5, 8 pm and 6:30 p.m. respectively Main Gym
Bren Cargill Sports Staff
Coming off of a heartbreaking split with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen last weekend, the Pandas volleyball team will look to get back on track with two games against the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Main Gym starting Friday night.
The Pandas, who are currently tied with Brandon and Calgary for fourth place in Canada West, will need a powerful performance this weekend. As head coach Laurie Eisler explains, the two games against the prairie Dogs are an opportunity for her team to gain some much-needed momentum and hopefully an optimal seed in the playoffs later this month. “The whole season is about positioning yourself for the playoffs,” Eisler said. “Hosting a quarter-final is very important, especially to us since if we don’t host it, then we will spend three consecutive weeks on the road. This means we’d be travelling quite a ways which also involves an academic and personal toll for our players.” While the Pandas managed to pull themselves out of a tough start to their season with a respectable 8–6
“We’re letting ourselves drop to a level that when push comes to shove, were not getting to where we need to go [...] We need a full effort from across the roster [...]” Laurie Eisler Head Coach, Pandas Volleyball
record, the final two weekends will not be a cakewalk for the Green and Gold. Calgary is not only a provincial rival, but, much like the Pandas are vying for a
high seed in the upcoming playoffs. Saskatchewan, with a record of 2–12 on the season may look like pushovers on paper, but they defeated the top-ranked Trinity Western squad last weekend, proving that they can compete with anyone. “[Saskatchewan] is another opponent that, much like Winnipeg, if they play free and loose, they can be extremely dangerous. They have a few more experienced players and they’re going to be a tough group. They swing hard, they play good defence, they’re feisty, they stick with it; so we’re going to have to come out and play our best against them,” Eisler explained. If there’s one thing that has plagued this year’s edition of the Pandas, it’s inconsistency. After going on a 6–0 run in the middle of the season, they have
split their last two series including dropping a match to Winnipeg last weekend in a game where they led in every set but couldn’t finish them off. “We didn’t respond well: we needed to play better defence, we needed to put more pressure on them, we needed to pass better, we needed to hold a lead,” Eisler explained. “There were a lot of things that didn’t go well for us in that game. We should never have let it get that far.” “We’re letting ourselves drop to a level that when push comes to shove that we’re not getting to where we need to go. We’re not a good enough team to rest on one or two players. We need a full effort from across the roster and better performances from players and from myself to win but I have full confidence that we will find the solutions going forward.”
The Gateway
Sports
volume ci number 31
19
Thurston follows the path of coaching greats to lead Bears hockeypreview Bears vs. Regina Cougars
February 4–5, both at 7:30 p.m. Clare Drake Arena
Matt Hirji
Sports Editor
Eleven-time NBA champion Phil Jackson has often credited his victories to a steadfast dedication to the establishment and execution of his threepronged offensive system. Following in the Zen Masters’ path, Bears hockey head coach Eric Thurston is hoping his squad will show the same dedication to the cause as they charge into the final leg of the season.
become frustrated at the rut they find themselves in. Despite their struggles, head coach Eric Thurston is confident that if his players are able to remain focused on the team structure for the remainder of the year, they will be able to carry on their winning tradition. For the puck Bears, who have claimed an unprecedented 13 national titles, the institution of a unwavering team structure has been the key ingredient in their historical successes. However, encouraging his team to execute an offense predicated on hard work has been a struggle for Thurston season. With 17 players on the Bears roster with fewer than two years experience wearing the sweater, the tendency for the squad has been to
“ Each player has to be the difference. When everybody comes in with that attitude and you have 20 players pulling that way, you’re in the right direction. ” Eric Thurston Head Coach, Bears Hockey
“ ‘The principles of the system are the code of honour that everybody on the team has to live by,’ ” Thurston said, quoting Jackson. “Everything that we do is building our foundation. That quote came from Phil Jackson. When he was with the Bulls, he [had] Jordan and Rodman — he was able to keep them focused on the big picture. It’s something that we can learn from and live by.” After losing their last three games, the top-ranked Bears have clearly
betray the team’s ideologies in times of hardship. The Bears’ opponents have recognized their knack for handling the puck too much in the neutral zone and have counter-attacked playing defence more aggressively waiting for the Green and Gold to make a mistake and cough the puck up. As a result, the need for the Bears to play as a team will be even more crucial during their upcoming series with the explosive Regina Cougars. “With Regina, we have to be patient.
File Photo: Aquib Shirazi
We have to get pucks deep off the rush and work them down low. We have to be able to pay the price to get pucks to the net — looking for rebounds and getting to the net for those chances, not playing on the perimeter. They’ll really clog up the front of the net.” The Bears have had a difficult time remaining focused on toeing the line recently, because they can’t find the back of the net. Over the past three
games the have only scored a combined total of four goals. Thurston admits the lack of scoring has become a sore spot for the team’s morale, but said the only way to emerge from their drought will be through sacrifice and a steadfast commitment to the longterm goals of the program. “If we’re not willing to pay the price, we’ll have a tough time scoring,” Thurston said. “Each player has
to be the difference. When everybody comes in with that attitude and you have 20 players pulling that way, you’re in the right direction. When that doesn’t happen, the very thin line between winning and losing disappears. When players aren’t mentally prepared or start to freelance from the structure, sometimes it comes back to bite you. For us to be successful, everybody has to buy in.”
20
Sports
thursday, february 3, 2011
www.thegatewayonline.ca
Supplied
Historic Pandas to be inducted into Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame 1999-00 hockey team established a path for future Panda ice dominance Matt Hirji
Sports Editor
The 1999–2000 Pandas hockey team will be inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame to acknowledge their impact on women’s hockey in Alberta It was a special season for the Ice Pandas that year. Only three years after women’s hockey became officially recognized as a varsity sport in Canada, the Pandas claimed their first national championship. The team’s performance paved the way for the program’s future success as the Green and Gold won six more national championships over a 10-year span. “They were trailblazers,” Pandas head coach Howie Draper acknowledged. “Not only in the sense that they were a team that could score goals and be successful; it was a team that played the game with a lot of pride. It was the first moment where we could start talking about a tradition of excellence. They helped light the way for other teams to follow. What we established in that year was probably when we called our program something special.” After dropping only one game during the 99–00 season, the Pandas’ journey to their first gold medal began with a victory over their provincial rival Calgary Dinos. While the team had been successful against the Dinos earlier in the season, the threegame weekend series against a team with two future Olympians turned into a hotly charged, gruelling affair. With thousands of onlookers packed into Clare Drake Arena, the Green and Gold’s nerves nearly destroyed their chances at success. But, as Draper recalls, during the final match of the weekend, the squad finally showed their potential. “I remember vividly our girls, we were up going into the third period — it was a very tight game — and our girls were singing in the dressing room. You
“They were trailblazers. Not only in the sense that they were a team that could score goals and be successful; it was a team that played with a lot of pride. It was the first moment where we could start talking about a tradition of excellence.” Howie Draper Head Coach, Pandas Hockey (1997-present)
could just hear them down the hall; they were singing through the entire break. That was a rare occurrence, and certainly when you’re coming from the male side of things, you don’t hear that a lot. I didn’t know what to make of it. But they came out and played the best period of hockey that we’ve ever played.” Combining hardworking veteran players with young talent, the Pandas fielded a powerful squad with a knack for putting pucks in the net. The Green and Gold had five players amongst the top scorers in the country, including rookie stand-out Danielle Bourgeois who would go on to claim 212 points in her five seasons with the squad — a team record at the time of her graduation. But, it wasn’t just goal scoring that allowed the Pandas to be successful. As the post-season progressed, their dynamic team chemistry became an unstoppable force. “Every player was committed to doing everything they could to make the team successful. It was the kind of team that would lay everything on the line to win,” Draper recalled. “We had four or five girls that could see the net, and that’s very rare on a female hockey team. But we also had a real strong core of hard workers — a lot of players that maybe weren’t the most gifted in terms of their skill, but they were really
good skaters. It [was] a pretty deadly combination.” After defeating Calgary in the Canada West finals, the Puck Pandas would go on to win three straight games in the national championship tournament, taking down a powerhouse Concordia squad in the semifinal match before claiming a triumphant 2–0 victory over the McGill Martlets in the final. “That was probably the most important turning point in our program,” Draper said. “It’s what helped pave the way for all the teams, all the championship teams in particular that would come.”
1
National Championship – The first since the team was established in 1997
5
Players amongst the league’s top scorers
6
More championships won in a 10-year span after their inaugural championship
The Gateway
Sports
volume ci number 31
21
NHL All-Star Game finally coming out of a rut Ryan Lotsberg
Sports Commentary
T
o say the NHL All-Star Game has decreased in popularity in the last decade is a colossal understatement. According to Sports Media Watch, this year’s game — which occurred on Sunday evening for those of you who ‘forgot’ — has been seen by barely more than three percent of American households since 1990. Some fans say the game is a waste of time and should be abolished. The argument goes that players don’t try and therefore it’s a joke. But the expectation of the intensity matching that of a regular season game is entirely unrealistic for an All-Star Game. It’s meant to be a spectacle for the fans and serves as the greatest potential advertisement for the game. The 2011 iteration was a giant step forward for the NHL, but it’s clear there is still work that needs to be done in order to make it a truly successful event. I enjoyed the All-Star game, and I’m excited that it was an apparent success. The NHL deserves a lot of credit for the changes made to the event. The Lidstrom vs. Stall duel was an exciting, unique twist that was fun for the media to speculate over, the players to participate in, and for the fans to watch. The actual game itself was closely matched and entertaining to say the least. The whole weekend saw the personalities of the players emerge, which is always fun to watch. With that being said, there are some things that need to change before the NHL’s All-Star Game can rival any of its competitors in the league’s most important markets. Since the United States is home to 24 of the 30 teams, success south of the border is vital for the future of the NHL. Ratings for the
event have not yet been released, but it’s doubtful that Versus, the exclusive network provider of the All-Star festivities in the U.S., was able to reach more than one per cent of American households — a goal they haven’t achieved since the 2004–05 lockout. Versus is a specialty network with a small fraction of the viewers that the national networks garner. The result is that the NHL’s most extravagant advertisement can’t break through into larger audiences. Until one of the major networks picks up the game, it can’t be a success.
The 2011 iteration was a giant step forward for the NHL, but it’s clear there is still work that needs to be done to make it a truly successful event. In an unfortunate incident of bad timing, this year’s game took place on the same day as the NFL’s Pro Bowl. While the games never directly conflicted with each other on the airwaves, the NHL surely wasn’t on the radar for millions of American sports fans mere hours before the Pro Bowl and in the midst of the buzz of the Superbowl. Here’s a solution: postpone the game until after the Stanley Cup finals. This would allow the NHL to avoid direct competition with any other major sporting event and the incidence of players passing on the event would decrease dramatically. Sidney Crosby missed this year’s game with an injury, and many stars have had to do so before him. Players wouldn’t have the need to heal for the run towards the playoffs if the game took place in June. It’s time for the NHL to give a second look at how the All-Star Game is administered. The event is designed for the fans after all, and some minor changes could give more people the opportunity to be involved with such an exciting event.
Supplied
22
Classifieds
thursday, february 3, 2011
crossword Puzzle provided by BestCrosswords.com Used with permission. Across 1. Group character 6. “Diana” singer 10. Iowa city 14. Cool! 15. Agitate 16. Commotion 17. Pub perch 18. Up and ___! 19. First king of Israel 20. Uncertainty 23. Halogen element 27. Bridge positions 28. Ladies of Sp. 29. Slanted 34. Capital city of Yemen 36. Difficult question 37. Baseball club 40. Reticent 43. Hot time in Paris 44. Vessel 45. Carried 46. Speaks 48. Dweeb 49. Pays to play
Classifieds To place a classified ad, please go to www.gatewayclassifieds.ca
24. Praying figure 25. Move rhythmically 26. Golfer Aoki 30. Sudden burst 31. Rope used to guide a horse 32. Bendable twig, usually of a willow tree 33. Delt neighbor 35. Surprise attack 37. Seizes with teeth 38. Declares 39. Woman’s one-piece undergarment 41. Floor covering 42. Accent 47. Radical ‘60s org. 49. Love affair 50. Audacity 51. Forest makeup 52. Acclaim 54. Not hesitant 56. Between ports 57. Soft ball brand 58. Expensive 59. A big fan of 63. Fuzzy buzzer 64. Loss leader? 65. Sun. talk 66. Directional ending
53. Stylish 55. Commodities 60. Hurler Hershiser 61. Observed 62. Demote 67. Eye layer 68. Part of Q.E.D. 69. Discourage 70. Breather 71. Big do 72. Long Down 1. Nav. officer 2. Hanoi holiday 3. Monetary unit of Vietnam 4. Siouan speaker 5. Gannet 6. Bedouin 7. Words of denial 8. Capital of the Ukraine 9. mater 10. Baffled 11. Haunted house sounds 12. Something drawn out 13. Mends a shoe 21. Cry River 22. Ogle 23. Point in question
Great summer job. Local painting company needs full time painters for summer season - interior and exterior projects.
$15/hr
starting. Will provide all training. Call Color Shift Painting for details: 780-716-0985
Employment - Full Time
Employment - Part Time
Sanpachi Japanese Cuisine req’s FT &
Door to door marketing positions available; great money, Flexible schedule: $15/hr + $15 bonus per lead. Color Shift Painting: 780-716-0985.
PT servers, sushi chefs & kitchenstaff. Knowledge of Japanese is preferred but not essential. Contact Wing @ 780.237.8838.
www.thegatewayonline.ca
Volunteers Wanted
1. Take pictures of dead animals. It’ll make
Prussian war. It can simply be a good piece
Volunteers needed to teach ESL to adult newcomers. Downtown, classroom teaching, 2-3 hr/week. Teaching materials provided. Gain teaching experience and meet people from around the world. Contact Anne-Marie at
you artistic and “deep.”
of fiction. Dialogue’s important too, though
2. Pretend you’re having a seizure.
a lot of that can improved in the second
5. Hug it out, all up in this bitch.
8. Experiment with your sexuality; plants
lexprogram@cci-lex.ca.
6. Start working on that screenplay you
can be attractive, too.
wanted to get around to. It doesn’t even
9. Clip your nails. People hate when you clip
have to be based around the Franco-
your nails around them. Nails are gross.
9 Fun things to do when no one is watching
3. Dance (also see number 2) 4. S p a c e o u t y o u r l e t t e r s .
and third drafts. 7. Watch Two and a Half Men, free of the ridicule from your peers.
The Gateway
volume ci number 31
Comics
23
Metaleeto by Ross Vincent
Id & Ego by Lauren Alston
Single Dad Banana by Benjamin Ripley
Better off Dead by Ben Leung
Kaitlyn Menard
MIGRATORY BIRDS A bird mobile hangs in HUB, one of dozens dangling around campus in celebration of International Week. This year’s theme focuses on the migration of human populations worldwide.
24
Advertisement
thursday, february 3, 2011
www.thegatewayonline.ca